A Cat and A Number
by lost-penny
Summary: A chance meeting in the snow leads to something far greater than anyone could have predicted. It began in Winter 2016. AS/S
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Albus Severus Potter had never seen such a bright white sky, he was almost certain of it. Al grinned as he threw open the dormitory window with what can only be described as childish excitement; snow. Snow was most defiantly (probably) on its way. James had boasted all through his two weeks back at home last Christmas about how you _**never, ever**_got snow as deep in Lower Shiplake as you did in Scotland, and Albus and Lily would probably _**never, ever**_see snow like that when they came to Hogwarts. "Why not?" Albus had asked his older brother; "Well, that's obvious, silly. EVERYONE knows the muggles are heating the world up so much that pretty soon there won't be any snow anymore. Grandpa says it's 'cos of how muggles cook, see. They use up heat from the sun and so all the sun's heat is here and not in space and it makes everything really really hot". Lily had stormed up to her Dad and demanded he make it snow for her when she was at Hogwarts. Or else let her go to Hogwarts now. Albus had stared at his brother for a few moments before rapidly blinking away the moisture gathering in his eyes and said, "At least one of us got to see it, I guess. Could you….maybe…could you take a photo for me? You know I like snow…" Al wasn't stupid by any mean, but he was certainly gullible and slightly naïve. He always hoped his family and friends would lead him in the right direction. But that's the way it had always been; James and Lily storming around the house like hurricanes, commanding the attention of all they met and loving every second of it, while Al listened and learnt and laughed only when he saw everyone else doing so. While Al hoped he'd get through Hogwarts without embarrassing himself and his family too much, James' life ambition was to be at the very least as talented a quidditch player as his Mum and Dad combined and Lily simply wanted to be the most popular person that there had ever been in the whole history of the universe.

_Ha! I knew Jamie was lying! _Albus continued to stare out of the window as, sure enough, snow began to fall, wondering if maybe, just maybe he could come up with a prank so clever that James would rue the day he – "Are you coming or not? You'll look like a complete idiot coming in on your own, you know". Albus whirled round, smile dropping slowly off his face as he remembered what Frank Longbottom was talking about. The Winter Ball. The reason Albus was standing in the world's most uncomfortable dress robes and feeling like a complete and utter prat. "Frank, do you think, maybe, you could say I'm ill? Like a head-ache? Or stomach-ache or maybe a foot cramp that means I can't leave my bed or something like that? It's just ,well, I AM a bit ill". Harry blinked at him. "OK well I'm not really but I just… just – ", "What Al? You just what? If you don't come down with me I'll send your brother up". "…I'll just go put my shoes on". Frank had spent the previous evening trying to convince that Al that the Ball would be 'fun' and 'a laugh' and not, as Al had suspected, 'a-stupid-thing-made-up-to-make-everyone-see-Albus-was-so-rubbish-compared-to-every-other-person-that-he-couldn't-even-dance-a-simple-jig'. Besides, Frank refused to go with just Harry Daniels (who was commonly acknowledged as 'hilarious' and so made Frank look dull) and Sean Finnigan (whose Irish accent was so strong no one really knew what he was saying), and he needed Al to come to make sure that he would have someone to talk to if all the other houses were in clique-y moods. Fifteen minutes later Albus was walking with a slight limp through the portrait hole. A blister was beginning to form on the sole of his left foot, courtesy of his shiny new dancing shoes.

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Scorpius lay on his back with his hands behind his head and sighed. The pros of going to the Ball were;

Seeing if that Ravenclaw 4th year Jessica Patil was really as good at waltzing as she claimed to be ("My mother taught me everything I know – and SHE learnt it off Harry Potter himself!")

Seeing if the decorations in the Great Hall lived up to gossip.

Seeing if anyone other than Lauren and Phoenix would talk to him.

Scorpius frowned. It was best not to think like that. He'd accepted what his treatment was to be at school , he really had. And so there was no point in hoping for anything else. None at all. Anyway, it's not like any of the Slytherins beside Lauren and Phoenix were worth talking to anyway. And the other houses? Not only was he a slytherin, but an obviously evil Slytherin from a family of Death Eaters. He even had the numbers to prove it. _Stop it. Stopitstopitstopit. Think of the cons now;_

Lauren Parkinson was a truly hideous dancer and Scorpius wanted to keep his feet.

Though Scorpius knew his dress robes were beautiful they would probably not be appreciated by the school community and may be deemed 'weird' or 'uncool'.

Scorpius wanted to watch the snow fall and he probably wouldn't be able to from the hall – windows always fogged up when there were lots of people in there in the winter.

The dormitory door flew open while Scorpius was still trying to think of a number 4. "Scooooorpius! What are we doing in bed then, hmmmm? Surely you're not going to sleep in your …er… snazzy dress robes?" "I'm not in my bed, I'm on my bed. I'm thinking." "There is no time for that so come on. Let's DANCE!!!" And with that Lauren grabbed Scorpius' right wrist which was poking out from behind his head and pulled him off the bed. Scorpius had just enough time to put his feet on the floor before Lauren had flung him out the door. Glancing at his only female friend as she frog marched him towards the hall, her long dark curls bobbing around her oval, pale face, Scorpius realised it had never really been his decision in the first place.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Frank? Frank where are you going? Could you – ok, well I'll just...go over here and maybe...stop talking to myself. Okey dokey then".

Having been at the Ball for roughly 2 minutes, Albus decided he rather hated it. Stupid everyone else having stupid fun doing stupid dancing with their stupid friends. Well then, there was nothing else to do but help himself to a mini quiche and hope the time passed quickly.

Two hours later and Al was getting a little hysterical. He'd been making polite conversation with Alison Bark from Hufflepuff and some of her rather giggly friends. It had all being going rather hunky-dory until Alison had asked whether Al would like to call his brother over to join the group. The evidently ugliest Potter child made a hasty retreat to join his cousin Rose on the dance floor, a place Albus usually feared but where he hoped he would be able to avoid crazed James fans.

"Hey Al! Having fun? Why aren't you with Frank? Oh, he was telling me the funniest joke, like, ten seconds ago. Have you heard the one about the hag, the leprechaun and the goblin? Okay, so – "

"Yeah, I've heard it Rosie. Three times a day for the past three months. Hahaha. I found it very amusing."

Rose blinked at her cousin for a few seconds then sighed. "Not in the party mood, eh?" Her tone became hushed and pitying. "Did Frank go off without you?"

"What? Oh well you know how these things are you get, er, separated? Don't you? I mean, it's fine with me, I've just been talking to Alison and Grace and that so it's not like I was alone or anything like that."

"Alison? The Hufflepuff? Oh goodness Al, don't go making friends with her! She's alright in small doses but the girl is a little OTT if you catch my drift. I saw her crying hysterically in the Great Hall at breakfast the other day when she read in 'Witch Weekly' that Caspian Camborne's dog had died. It's not like the dog was even famous or anything!"

Al loved Rose, he really did. Like him, she loved reading and always tried hard in her school work, traits it was thought she'd probably inherited from her mother. But then she was confident and socially gifted and enjoyed parties and what not. Al often felt a little.....under-evolved next to her.

"Anyway, enough talking, let's dance!"

And just like that Al found himself in a circle of dancing girls, desperately trying to keep the look of fear off his face

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Scorpius headed for the door, intent on seeing how well the snow had settled. Not that he'd ever admit it. It sounded rather....well, childish.

"I'll be back in a bit Lauren. I just need some air."

"You'd better come back mister!"

Scorpius turned back to wave at his friend, and then continued on to the large Oak doors in the entrance hall. After pushing his way through the heavy doors, Scorpius was met by a truly beautiful sight; everywhere the eye could see was covered in a layer of bright, thick, glistening snow. Scorpius let out a rare smile. _Perfect. _

"Off to get romantic like all the other kids out here are you? Pretty young thing is she?"

Scorpius jumped slightly before quickly attempting to regain his composure. _Where did that...oh! _Looking up at the castle wall Scorpius saw the source of the voice addressing him. A large gargoyle sat on a ledge above the door, staring down at Scorpius with a strange look of both mild interest and distain.

"No, of course not, I'm far too young for that. I just wanted to....get some air. It's hot in the hall."

"Must be the nice to come and go as you please" the gargoyle noted wistfully, looking off at the rolling hills in the distance. His small, stony eyes then snapped back to Scorpius.

"Still, I guess you can't can you? Not with that number on your arm and all."

Scorpius looked down at his arm. Though his sleeves were still covering his skin, he didn't need to ask how the gargoyle knew about the number, nor how it knew he was one of the few who possessed it.

"I'm going to carry on walking. Goodnight."

"Hmm."

To Scorpius the only thing better than looking at snow was walking in it. He decided to follow the walls of the castle and it was after about ten minutes of crunching along that Scorpius saw another person sitting alone on bench against the wall. Now, normally Scorpius would have carried on walking. He didn't recognise this boy as a fellow Slytherin and he was feeling far too peaceful to have to defend himself in a verbal (or even physical) conflict. But he recognised that hair. It was the hair of the boy who sat in front of him in history of magic, the hair he'd studied on numerous occasions to keep his mind occupied as their ghost of a professor rambled on and on about some war he'd just look up in his textbook later on. Albus Potter. A quiet boy, nearly always seemed on edge about something. Hardly dangerous to look at. But still.....Potter. Not the best omen. Ah, what the hell.

"Not enjoying the Ball?" Nice one Scorpius, jump in with an accusation. Smooth.

Al jerked his head up at the sound of the intruder's voice. He'd been too busy thinking about what excuse he was going to give his roommates for leaving the Ball to notice the sound of approaching footsteps. The boy before him was fairly tall for a first year, with hair that would probably only lose in a brightness competition if it were up against the surrounding snow. Not that there was any such thing a brightness contest...._Focus Albus! _He was clearly Scorpius Malfoy, a boy Albus had never spoken to but obviously knew of. His uncle Ron often joked about Draco Malfoy and generally seemed to think badly of anyone with the name Malfoy, and besides, everyone knew it was best to stay away from 'that lot'. At least that's what James had said. But then, James wasn't there.

"I...I...jjust wanted to come here. The Ball's great but...um...well – "

"Dancing not your thing?" Scorpius prodded, trying to help Albus answer the question. Hopefully then Potter would look at him rather than the ground.

"What? Oh no! I can dance, my family goes to quite a few of these things. You learn." Albus didn't know why, but he somehow felt that Scorpius was insulting his Grandma who had tried to teach him how to waltz last Christmas. It was of course completely irrational, but there it was.

"Can you now? Can you do the Bulgarian Wizards Waltz?"

"Yeah. Why, can you?" Al still had no idea was he was getting so snippy. It was out of character for him.

"Of course." A slight smirk formed on the taller boys face. "Care to show me?" Scorpius felt like kicking himself as soon as he said it. What was he trying to do? Make Potter dance for him? He didn't care if the boy could dance, what was the point in any of this?

Al was a little shocked. He didn't want Scorpius telling everyone Albus Potter couldn't dance. His father couldn't dance, but he was the saviour of the world so no one really cared. Lily and James could both dance.

"Can't do it without a partner."

"I'll be your partner." There was a moments silence while both boys stared at the each other. Scorpius felt a slight twinge in his stomach as he realised just how similar the colour of Albus' eyes were to Harry Potter's.

"Yeah...ok. Don't laugh....please."

Al stood up and walked over to Scorpius, watching his feet as he went. When he arrived in front of the other boy, he looked up to find Scorpius watching him, his head cocked to the side slightly.

"I won't. Unless you're really bad." He smirked again, taking Al's hands and putting them on his shoulders.

"Wait, this is the girl's position! I'm a boy!

"I had noticed. You're shorter than me, it makes sense."

"But it's the boy's part that I know!"

"I'm a very firm leader in these kind of things, I don't think I could possibly follow you. Humour me?

"Well.....alright. But if I'm awful, it's your fault!"

As they began to dance to the music they could hear faintly coming from the hall, it became clear to Scorpius that Albus may have been twisting the truth. In that he was lying.

"Alright, let's take this slow. You go back on that foot," he prodded Al's left foot with his toe, "Then on the other, then left with two steps – yes like that- then back – no back again – and forward. Then the same but in the other direction. And we'll add the turning in a second." If Scorpius had paused to think about it, he may have wondered why he bothered to put so much effort into teaching this stranger to dance. But he was too busy watching Albus' feet, or Albus' teeth as he bit his lip, or Albus' brow as it furrowed in concentration, then raised in excitement when he got something right.

Twenty minutes later Al had finally got the steps. True he wasn't particularly graceful and had a tendency to step on Malfoy's feet, but it was defiantly a progression. Looking at his watch, Albus suddenly remembered where they were.

"Oh! I gotta go! I'm meant to be meeting Rose in the common room at 12 to say goodnight."

"Of course, that's ok." As Al began to remove his hands from Scorpius' shoulder, he felt the other take a light hold of his right wrist.

"Wait." Scorpius took hold of Albus' hand and brought it quickly to his mouth before pressing his lips to it. He let it drop as soon as the kiss was over.

"It's how you end a dance."

"Really? Oh..er, cool then."

"You were the girl after all, it makes sense."

"Hey!...Well thanks for the lesson. See you, Gene!" Al waved at the Slytherin then ran off at full speed, back to the Gryffindor common room.

Scorpius stood for a moment and stared at the other boys retreating figure. A small, hesitant smiled played on his lips. He'd had fun. Though he was slightly put out that Albus had confused him with this Gene person.

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Six months passed and the only words the boys had exchanged were when Albus muttered an apology to Scorpius' ankles after walking into the Slytherin in the hallway. To Al, the dance in the snow was mostly forgotten. It was the kind of memory your brain called on only when you were almost asleep; used simply to make you smile but not important enough to make you truly remember.

Scorpius watched Albus more intently than ever before, though he couldn't quite decide why. All he knew was that the emerald green hangings above his bed had began to make him feel peaceful, excited and nervous all at once.


	3. Chapter 3

It was getting a bit silly now. Scorpius knew Albus had emerald eyes, a small nose covered with a light smattering of freckles and a smiley, slight poutey mouth. So why on earth did he feel the need to spend so much time examining the other boy's face?

"You're doing it again." Lauren drawled, eyes remaining fixed on the book she was reading.

"Hm? What....doing what?"

"Very eloquent." The smirking young Witch replied. " Staring at Potter. The little one."

"He's taller than you so I don't know why you're feeling so smug. And I've told you before, I do not stare at him. I inspect him."

"Yes yes, I KNOW that but I still don't know why!"

"Me neither. I was thinking that maybe it's because he always seems to sit oppossite me at dinner, like now. So my eyes are used to him being there so It's like a natural reaction for them to look for him."

"That's such a load of rubbish scorpy - "

"Never call me that!"

"Oh shut up. You always choose to sit right in front of him so you can oggle him. Maybe you should ask him to be your girlfriend!" And with that Lauren collapsed into peals of laughter.

Scorpius sighed. It must have seemed odd to Lauren, especially as she didn't know about the dance in the snow last year. It was now 10 months since the Winter Ball and 2 months into their second year at Hogwarts and Scorpius still couldn't shake the memory of Albus' hand against his lips. It wasn't just that either. One of the things that had struck Scorpius most about the encounter was how incredibly trusting Potter had been. Not only had they never met before but Albus should have been one of the people that hated Scorpius the most. And yet he'd let Scorpius teach him to dance of all things, in the middle of the snow away from everybody else. It made Scorpius feel happy and worried in equal measures. While it was nice to be trusted for once (despite not really deserving it), Albus shouldn't go off trusting anyone. What if Scorpius had been a creep? Or one of the sex perverts you read about in the daily prophet (not that Scorpius read the daily prophet...but one can't help but hear the rumours). It was just a bad idea for someone as famous and little and ...sparkly as Albus to be so naive about these things. It wasn't safe.

"Ahaha....Hey I forgot to tell you, I'm trying out for the quidditch team."

"Quidditch? Oh dear, why would you want to do a thing like that? And surely they've already held the tryouts?"

"Oh ha ha. It's not my fault you hate sport of any kind."

"That's a lie, I like running. Quidditch is ridiculous and high up, you just fly around in the air with a piece of wood practically shoved up your behind. It's so Neanderthal."

"Oooh, another muggle word from your reading I see? Aren't we the clever one. And as for your other question, the trials are late this year cos Harry Goswick got in trouble with that cat and had to take a couple of weeks off school. He wanted to be there, seeing as he's the captain and all. I did tell you babe."

"Babe?"

"I'm trying it out. Your name sounds ridiculous no matter how I say it so I'm just going to have to call you pet names."

"Ah. Well I suppose that's fair enough. Do you want me to come and watch you practise or something before you try out?"

"That's nice of you but...um.. well I said to Sarah and Jessie that I'd practise with them, they're trying out too. That's what I'm doing tonight. Is that alright with you?"

Sarah and Jessie despised Scorpius. Sarah came from a long line of Ravenclaws who hated all things Malfoy and Deatheater. Jessie was a muggleborn who had jumped on the bandwaggon. Scorpius was used to it by now, but it had still hurt in the first week of school to have two member of his own house refuse to be on a table with him in charms.

"If they're the best people for the job then I guess it's fine. Just don't help them too much, okay?"

"Sure thing love monkey."

All too soon it was time to leave dinner and head back to the common room. Though of course he'd never admit it, Scorpius did feel a bit let down by Lauren. He'd been counting on her to help him with Transfiguration, the one class he had difficulties in. Secretly Scorpius knew he was more upset at the prospect of having to spend another night by himself, trying to distract himself from feeling lonely. But it wasn't in his nature to tell anyone this. In fact, it wasn't in his nature to show most people anything of himself. Scorpius let the world see a tall blonde haired boy who didn't speak much yet still couldn't be described as shy, a boy who did his work on time, stayed out of people's way and was generally distrusted and looked down on by everyone he met. Ce la vie.

-  
"COS BABY I KNOOOOW WHAT YOU WANT, AND I KNOOOOOW WHAT YOU NEED! HEY HEY HEY, YOU WANT....YOU NEED....MEEEE"

"James stop it, I'll write to mum, I swear I will!"

"Piss off, no you won't. For God's sake Alley Cat, why do you have to be such a fucking woman?"

Al felt his cheeks flush at being addressed with the harsh profanity.

"I'm not! And don't call be that, i'm not 5!"

"But you sure do look it. Hahahahaha."

Albus had been desperately trying to finish his book for three hours now. It was a wonderful book about a young wizard who discovered a whole knew species of magical creature called the grinifths. The Grinifths had become divided, half thinking the boy was a devil and the other half thought -

"SO GIVE IT UP, GIVE IT UP, GIVE IT AAAAH-AAAALL TO BE BABEEEEEY"

Albus swore James wasn't normally this bad at singing. The sound reverberated in his head, making it impossible for him to concentrate. Why did no one else see how annoying James was? To them he was hilarious, always up for 'a laugh' and just a general 'top lad'. Albus didn't always appreciate James' humour at the best of times but he absolutely despised it when his older brother insisted on grabbing him by the collar and pulling him into the spotlight along side him. All over the common room people were look up from what they were doing, whispering and pointing and laughing at the 'amusing' antics of James Potter.

"Well I guess I'll just go to bed then if you're going to be like this."

"Hahaha good! Go off to bed now, it's gone 7, it's well past your bedtime."

Albus walked up the stairs to the titters of his house mates behind him and felt his lower lip begin to quiver. Taking his lip between his teeth and biting down on it, Al bagan to internally berate himself. He really was a baby, wasn't he? Getting so upset over something so stupid. But he just couldn't help it. He'd always felt things so deeply. Every little insult made him question his whole being, every side glance had him staring in the mirror. He came from the perfect family and anything less than perfect just wasn't right, was it?

Al changed quickly into his pyjamas before taking a seat on the window ledge with his book. But something distracted him. Squinting, he looked down out of the window. He could just make out through the darkness the figure of a boy with bright blonde hair running steadily along on the grass. Albus smiled to himself. He'd seen Scorpius Malfoy out running before. Always just before the curfew, never past it. Al had never really liked running (he was more of a swimmer), but watching Malfoy run always seemed to calm him down. The Slytherin would gaze off into the distance as he ran, never seeming to truly focus on or see anything yet always remaining alert. Despite the pleasure he took in watching the older boy run, it would be a while before Albus took to Scorpius watching on a regular basis. 


	4. Chapter 4

"Right. So we're not going to have the same trouble as last year, are we Al?" Frank was pacing in front of a twitching Albus who was sitting on his trunk at the foot of his bed.

"Um well no, I am dressed and stuff but I could maybe still not go as I am feeling ill and don't ....I don't .... oh, I just don't like these things Frank, they make me feel ill. I've been going to dancey-mealy things with my family since the dawn of time (and that's a very long time Frank) so I know by now how much I hate them, so what's the point in going at all?"

"Because Al you need to talk to people beyond your family and other 2nd year gryffindors!" Frank exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air for increased dramatic effect.

"Well then maybe I'll...maybe I'll go and make friends with a slytherin, would that be sociable enough for you?!! "

Frank glared at Albus.

"....I'm sorry Frank - "

"Don't be stupid Al, I'm only trying to help. I'll see you downstairs in 5, else you can stay up here and talk to yourself all night for all I care." And with that he swept out of the dorm.

Albus felt terrible. He didn't want to be a burden on Frank, he really didn't. Maybe if he went for half of it Frank would feel like he'd succeeded enough for Al to be able to skulk off back to the common room? No one would be there, he could curl up in front of the fire with a book and....oh but no, think of all the rumours! People always sneaking off to, what was the word, 'get off' with each other in the common rooms while the winter ball went on. He wouldn't want to have to witness any of THAT sort of thing. And what if, like in one of his mum's books he'd accidentally stumbled upon, they started doing IT on the carpet in front of the fireplace, and he'd just be sitting there pretending to read his book and trying not to look. Then they might notice him and ...and....

With that thought in mind, his face flushing a bright red, Al ran out of the doors and down the stairs to meet Frank.

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Scorpius was watching the group of 5th years with barely concealed interest. The gang were huddled by the buffet table, whispering and passing a small hip flask between them. Eventually one brave gryffindor boy slowly poured the contents of the flask into the punch bowl. Ah. Spiking the punch. How very... traditional Scorpius smirked. Maybe he could try some, it might make the party more enjoyable. But he was only 13 after all .... Damn it, he was going for. Turning to his left to invite Lauren to join him, he realised she was still talking to the God-awful Terrence Knott. In many ways the slytherin 4th-year was probably one of the people Scorpius should have been closest to. Similar background, same tattooo, their fathers were even in the same year at school together. But in personality, they were nothing alike. While Scorpius was brought up simply as being aware of his heritage, Terrenece revelled in it. All he talked about was his family tree, how his Death-Eater family had almost won the war, how he was going to destroy the Potter's one day, how much money he had and on and on and on. The worst part for Scorpius was knowing that people probably thought the same about him. While he didn't boast about his family or their infamy like Terrence the other 3 houses all assumed he was the worst of the lot - his father after all was largely responsible for the death of Hogwarts greatest headmaster, for goodness sake. How could he be trusted? Most of the slytherins either hated him for the same reason (if they weren't pureblood) or for not defending his family's politics and past ventures (if they were).

"....And I was saying to him that I thought the whole thing was stupid, you understand? I mean we really can't carry on like this, letting ourselves get stamped down by this, pathetic, ugly - "

"Lauren, do you want to get a drink?" Scorpius finally interrupted.

"Oh Malfoy, there you are. Why don't you go and get us all drinks. We're busy." With that Terrence turned his back and cut Scorpius out of the conversation entirely. Lauren shot an apologetic look over his shoulder to which Scorpius tried to respond with an understanding smile. He stalked off the punch table to get the drinks. He deliberately forgot about getting one for Knott.

"Here you go Lauren."

"Where's mine?"

"Ah. Well. I suppose it's still on the punch table. Terribly sorry." Scorpius smirked his father's favourite smile.

With that Knott left, muttering to himself about finding more favourable company.

"What did you do that for? He's on the team with me! I've got to ..you know...work the team, so I can get really in with them all. I'm feeling a bit left out of it at the moment."

"Well that must be terrible for you Lauren, I don't know how you can possibly cope." Scorpius snapped back, regretting losing his cool immediately.

"Darling you know I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry. I know you don't like Knott but he's always been perfectly lovely to me."

"Have you listened to what he's saying Lauren? He's a horrible, ignorant, bigoted -"

"You can't just hate someone because of their politics Scorpius!", Lauren cut in. "He has the same stance as your family.", she added with a smirk of her own.

"As my Grandfather, and that's not a good place to be." At the back of his mind, Scorpius was vaguely aware that this conversation was far too mature for 2 second years. It was rather sad really.

"Can we please not have this talk now? People are staring, it's embarrassing.", the short girl replied, glancing around at the few people looking over.

Scorpius felt a bit stunned. Lauren loved being the centre of attention, she wasn't embarrassed by people looking. She was embarrassed by what they were looking at. She was embarrassed by Scorpius. After everything she'd said, after, well after everything, it came down to that.

He refused to let his hurt show on his face or in his voice as he replied, "Yes of course, I'm sorry. I'm just going outside to cool down a bit, it's terribly hot in here. I'll see you later." With that, Scorpius left the Great Hall.

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Back and forth, back and forth. Yes, he smiled to himself. This was far more entertaining than that stupid ball. Albus sat on a bench outside the castle, swinging his legs and kicking the sparkling white snow into the air as he went. He was so engrossed in his activity that he didn't notice somebody approaching.

"Hello again, Albus."

Al immediately stopped swinging his legs and jerked his head towards the voice of the intruder. Scoripus Malfoy stood with his head slightly cocked to the side and his lips curled upwards in what Al assumed was an amused smile. Malfoy was laughing at him. Great.

"Um h-hi Scorpius."

"Mind if I join you?"

"No, course not." Albus moved along on the bench slightly to prove his point.

Scorpius walked slowly over to sit by the dark haired boy. He watched the other out of the corner of his eye. Albus Potter truly was a 12-year old boy. He sat slightly hunched, with his eyes darting around watching everything he could all at the same time. He fiddled with his hands and his legs had began their ridiculous swinging again, though this time in a more subdued manor. Scorpius envied him. Although. maybe envied wasn't really the word. He would have loved to have the same sense of youth and innocence as Albus but at the same time he could never begrudge him having it. He wanted him to have it. It was right for Albus to be so perfectly boyish and pure.

"So, enjoying the ball?", Albus interrupted Scorpius' musings. His gaze was no longer wandering but fixed on the blonde boy's face.

Scorpius turned his head to meet the younger boy's eyes. He thought about it for a moment but could see no reason to lie to him.

"No. Not at all. You?"

"Ha!", Al snorted. "No. I hate these things. With like...with a passion."

"You mean to say you haven't been showing off the wonderful dance moves I taught you last year?", Scorpius teased.

"Hm?... Oh yeah! That was here too, wasn't it? Haha no I thought it was best that I keep those to myself". God, what an easy conversation Al thought. How rare.

"Do you remember them?" Al nodded. "Want to show me?" Scorpius waited for an answer, hoping he hadn't pushed his luck. It took ten seconds for Albus to reply.

"Go on then. Don't get offended if I've...you know... changed some of it."

"You mean forgotten it."

"Maybe", Al said, laughing slightly and looked down at his snow covered feet.

"Come on then." Scorpius stood up and walked into a clear bit of snow, waiting for a hesitant Al to follow and nearly trip over in the snow. He apologised for his clumsiness. Scorpius said he didn't mind

They started the waltz slowly with Scorpius having to re-teach short sections to Al, but overall the smaller boy had remember it rather well. It was only half was through that Scorpius began to notice the pressure of Albus' hands on his shoulder and waist. It made him feel warm and shivery at the same time. He glanced up to find the swirling emerald of Albus' eyes gazing back into his own blue eyes. His mind froze and he searched desperately for something to say.

"I'd say you're quite the Gene yourself now."

"Hm?"

"Gene. Gene Kelly. You mentioned him last time and I ..er... looked him up. Muggle dancer, yeah?"

"Yep. I still think you're more Gene than I'll ever be."

"We'll see about that." The two boys smiled slightly at each other.

"You look pretty cold Al. Maybe it's time to get back, it's probably quite late."

"How late? I don't want to go back and find it's getting...dodgy in there, you know?"

".....Dodgy?"

"Um never mind hah, just...never mind. I guess I'll see you around. Thanks for the dancing!"

"Thank you for the dance Albus. Goodnight".

Albus suddenly remembered last year when Scorpius had kissed him on the hand. His hand had gone all tingly. It was different this time. This time Scorpius moved the hand that was on Al's shoulder round slightly to his upper back. He lent forward and put his lips to Al's cheek, applying a small amount of pressure. The lips were gone as soon as they had came. They were followed by their owner.

"Bye!" Al shouted after Scorpius. Scorpius turned and waved, before hastily carrying on towards the castle.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Al got back to the common room he was pleased to find Rose and some others from their year sitting around the fire place and not some over-excited 6th years.

"Hey Al! Didn't see you much in there, did you have a good time?

"Yeah...yeah I did. Did you?"

"It was brilliant", Rose smiled, revealing most of her wonderfully white teeth.

"Cool....hey Rosie, can I ask you something?"

"Mhm, sure."

"Is it ....er...is it normal for someone to kiss someone on the cheek after they dance together?"

"I think so. I've seen adults do it. I guess...wait a mintue. Oh my god! Who's been dancing with you and kissing you Al? What's her name?"

"No one Rose, and shhh people are looking. It wasn't me but a friend asked. So yeah...Okay bedtime night night thanks."

After changing into his pyjamas and getting into bed, Al thought about what Rose had said. She had assumed Scorpius was a girl. But that was right wasn't it? Boys kissed girls not boys. But then it was only on the cheek, so it didn't really count. Oh well, it was better not to think about these things. It had been a ....well, a nice way to end the dance. Scorpius had soft lips. They had felt nice. And that was all that really mattered in the end, surely? 


	5. Chapter 5

Author note: to anyone who read the last few chapters (especially those lovely few who reviewed) I'm SO sorry for the long wait! Lot's has been going on but I really hope to start updating this regularly. I really want to re-write the first few chapters but I think it's best if I just more forward for now

And I don't want to nag, but any constructive feedback you have will be greatly appreciated!

This chapter takes place in January of Albus' 2nd year.

Phoenix Scott had been the first friend Scorpius' first friend. The boys had met on the train in first year. They had sat in the same compartment and entered a cautious yet ultimately amicable conversation about their backgrounds. Phoenix was a half blood, lived in Berkshire with his parents and baby brother, and adored quidditch. Scorpius had tried to give as little information about his life as possible until he had eventually been asked;

"You know, Scorpius is a funny name – no offense. Where's it from?"

"Oh…well…it's kind of a tradition in my family. We're named after constellations." Scorpius received a blank look. "After stars. We're named after stars."

"Never heard of a Scorpius star. Who's your family then? Anyone I'd know?" Whenever Scorpius thought back to this moment he would identify this as the first sign of Phoenix's true nature.

"Probably. I'm Scorpius Malfoy." Scorpius had waited anxiously, trying to keep his face as passive as possible. Phoenix's face flitted between a number of unidentifiable expressions before settling on a slight smile and barely raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, yeah I've heard of Malfoy before. Have you got the tattoo, then? I always think they look cool. I know you're not meant to but they are. So I guess you'll be in Slytherin? That's where I want to go."

Scorpius didn't really know how to react. It was nice to talk to someone who didn't instinctively hate him, that was for sure, but the flat out enthusiasm was a bit disconcerting. Regardless, the boy was friendly enough and Scorpius was in no position to turn down such a surprisingly positive reception.

"Thanks. I don't like it though, it's really quite ugly. All my family have been in Slytherin so I suspect I shall be too."

Phoenix leaned back and smirked. "So I guess we'll be together then. Sounds good to me." The left corner of Scoripus' mouth twitched upwards only slightly. Yet inside he felt triumphant.

As predicted, both Scorpius and Phoenix had been sorted into Slytherin. While Scorpius received the distrust of most of his classmates, there were a few who regarded him with interest. They were a group made up mostly of Slytherin boys from a variety of different year groups and headed by the detestable Terrence Knott. They made Scorpius uncomfortable; they reminded him of everything people assumed him to be. Any time they didn't spend loudly discussing politics, money and blood purity they spent mocking students they viewed as weaker than themselves. Scorpius had wanted nothing to do with them. But Phoenix had. He'd become fascinated by the glamour and power that Knott and his followers seemed to secrete.

And so while the two boys remained friends, Phoenix chose to spend more and more time with the intimidating gang. He tried at first to get Scorpius to join them, promising him they would have fun and that it would give them a real reputation in Hogwarts. But Scorpius had refused, choosing to spend his time alone or talking to Lauren, the daughter of a friend of his father's. Phoenix had remained his friend for several months until it became all too clear that Scorpius was no use whatsoever when it came to climbing Slytherin's power ladder. It had been gradual at first, with Phoenix forgetting to wait for Scorpius to go down to dinner, or pairing with Nick Goldstein instead of Scorpius in potions class. But eventually, the inevitable happened, and sometime between January and February of first year, Phoenix stopped talking to Scorpius altogether.

As Scorpius descended the stairs of the dormitory and entered the common room he glanced briefly around at his surroundings. His attention was held by a group lounging by the fireplace. It wasn't the sight of Geoffrey MacNair throwing bowtruckle eyes at a pair of terrified first years that held his attention. Nor was it the sight of Phoenix laughing at his own cruel joke about a blind man and a hag. Standing in the corner, almost concealed by the shadows, was Knott. His head was dipped low as he whispered into the ear of a dark haired girl. He moved his hand onto her shoulder, sliding it along to rest on her collar bone. The girl giggled.

_Oh no. No, please, it's not fair. Not Lauren too._

_Dear Lily,_

_Hello! How are you? I hope you are not too lonely without us there. Only another 8 months till you'll be here! I'm looking forward to having you here (though don't tell Jamie I said that, you know what's he's like!). _

_Today I had most of my favourite classes which was good. Charms is my most favourite and then it's transfiguration and then it's potions and then it's defence against the dark arts (that was dad's favourite he says) and then it's astronomy (you will like it, the stars are pretty but I get too tired to listen properly) and then it's care of magical creatures. I have to start thinking about what to do next year, I can do divination and ancient runes and arithmancy and muggle studies then as well. But you can't do all of them. That's too many I think, but I would like to try them all. Rosie says that arithmancy is meant to be really hard so maybe I should do divination instead. What do you think?_

_I'm going to a quidditch match tomorrow, Jamie is playing in it. He won't say so but I think he's nervous as it's the first time he's ever played Ravenclaw and they are very good. I think all of the teams are very good but Jamie says Syltherin are rubbish and that Hufflepuff don't even know what a broom is (they do really, he's just being silly).But anyway, I gave Jamie 3 chocolate frogs as a good luck present. He said I was a girl but he smiled so I think he liked it really. I've sent you one too so you don't feel left out._

_Have you read the book I gave you for Christmas yet? It's very good! It's one of my favourites, but 'Cloverbuck' is still the best I think._

_I miss home quite a lot, Have you been back lots yet this year? There is a lot of grass and things here too but I don't know how to climb the tree here very well. I don't know if you're allowed to. There is a forest here but you're not allowed in it which I think is a shame. Maybe when you're here we can go exploring together? But we would have to make sure we weren't caught!_

_I should go now, lots to do!_

_See you soon, _

_Love,_

_Al_

_p.s. Do you know what p.s. stands for? I don't. _

"Al! Ready for dinner?"

Albus looked up from his letter to see Frank standing over him. "Yep! Just finished writing – "

"OH MY GOD you GUYS!" Albus remembered Grandma saying it was rude to say oh my God. It was a good job she wasn't here.

"What's going on Rosie?" Frank asked, clearly concerned by Rose's dramatic entrance.

"I just found out that Alison from Hufflepuff fancies James! Can you believe it? But apparently she doesn't think James will go out with her because he's older sooo she was hoping Albus might ask her out instead."

Albus's eyes widened in horror. "What? But she likes James! I'm not James!" Rose responded by rolling her eyes and tutting.

"Obviously Albus! I think she thinks you are the next best thing. Will you ask her out? I hope you don't. I don't like her really. Actually, I might even hate her a bit."

"Al, ignore Rose, go for it! Alison is really pretty. She's blonde and everything." Albus didn't understand how a perfectly pleasant evening could have taken such an embarrassing turn so quickly.

"I-I don't want her to go anywhere with me! I don't know her! I'm sure she's lovely – "

"Oh no she is not!" Rose interrupted.

"- but I don't- no – no thank you…"

"God Al, that is so typical of you," Frank sighed. His eyes suddenly lit up and he asked, "Do you mind if I give it a shot then?"

"No. As in, I mean, no, I don't mind. Don't you mind that she likes Jamie?"

"Nah, I'll just make her fancy me instead. Come on, dinner! I've got a Hufflepuff to catch!"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: First of all, I want to apologize for all the grammar and spelling mistakes in the last chapter (actually, in all the chapters). I've only just realised how many words I've missed out…so tempted to go and replace chapters with updated versions but I think I'll keep going for now.

Thanks to those who reviewed They are very much appreciated!

* * *

The incessant giggling was really getting a bit much now. Upon entering the Great Hall for dinner, Frank had marched over to the Hufflepuff table and asked Alison out. She had glanced briefly across the hall at James before apparently deciding that Frank was her heart's desire after all. The two now sat on a bench at the Gryffindor table, giggling away about God only knew what. In fact, Albus was quite sure that even God didn't really know what they were twittering about.

"It's so stupid! They don't even know each other. It's just because she's blonde. Boys _always_ like blonde girls. It's so..so…unoriginal. He could have at least gone for a blonde with a hint of at least one brain cell. I bet she just wants to be one of us, you know? Over on _our _table, eating food set out for _our _house_. _Don't you agree, Al?" Rose had been fervently whispering her thoughts on Alison to Albus for the last 15 minutes. Albus felt a bit uncomfortable.

"Well..I'm sure there is enough food for everyone. Probably. So don't worry about that. And maybe they've spoken when you weren't there?"

"Have you ever heard Frank talk about her until 20 minutes ago?"

"Er, not, no, not exactly."

Rose smirked in triumph. "See. It's all about looks. Mum warned me about this kind of thing. Boys always go for pretty girls."

"You're pretty Rose! I'm sure that boys will like you because you're pretty _and_ smart."

Rose turned to her cousin and smiled warmly, "Aw, thanks Alley Cat."

"You know Rose I don't really like –"

"You're right of course. When boys start getting more mature they'll notice more than just hair colour. It's silly to get upset about these things. Not that I really care what Frank does anyway. Would you like some more potatoes?"

While Al loved his cousin, he thought it might be nice if every once in a while she listened to a whole sentence of what he had to say. But then, he never really seemed to have much to say in the first place.

Half way through dessert, Albus felt a pair of eyes on him. He glanced up and met the eyes of a blonde haired boy sitting at the Slytherin table. Scorpius Malfoy. Albus stared into the other boy's eyes for a few seconds before giving a brief, awkward smile and turning back to his food. It seemed like a long time ago that they had their last conversation. It was strange, they had spent nearly two years in the same year and Albus knew nothing about the other boy. Except of course that he was the son of Draco Malfoy, Dad's school rival. His interest peaked, Al turned to the red haired girl sitting next to him.

"Hey Rosie, what do you know about Scorpius Malfoy?"

"Malfoy?" Rose's eyes flicked towards the Slytherin table before returning to hold Al's gaze. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just interested, I guess."

"Well he's the son of Draco Malfoy who my dad says is horrible. Remember when we were at Kings Cross for the first time? And dad said I had to beat him in every test? Actually, that's been quite difficult. I think I just about beat him in most tests and essays, but he's still pretty clever. Although, I guess it's not that hard to get high marks when you have no friends to distract you." Albus thought that was quite a nasty thing to say.

"He does have friends. That girl with the dark hair. Lauren something."

"Hm? Oh yes, I suppose so. Anyway, not many people like him. I mean, he has a DC mark!"

"Dad says you shouldn't not like someone because of that."

"Yeah, that's true, but he's also a Slytherin and really weird. Even people in his house don't really like him, look, no one's talking to him." Al tried to surreptitiously look over once again at the Slytherin table. It was true, Scorpius was methodically eating his food without a single comment to another member of his house.

"Well anyway, you know how in Slytherin there are basically like two main groups? People who believe in pureblood supremacy (though honestly, who can believe in that, it's such an out-dated concept) and those who are more...normal? He doesn't fit in either group. I think he's too dark for most people and then the other group just think he's too weird. Have you heard him speak? He's so formal. And his clothes seem a bit odd. Like, fancy but just…it's hard to put your finger on. Anyway, I think it's best to stay away from peculiar people like that. Don't you agree?"

Albus couldn't say that he did.

* * *

Scorpius ate his dinner as quickly as possible. He normally didn't mind eating by himself but the sight of Lauren with Knott's gang had shaken him up. He left the Great Hall with haste, aiming to go back to his dorm, pull the hangings shut and read until he fell asleep. However, as he stepped through the doors of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall he found himself face to face with the very group of people he didn't want to see.

"I know what you mean! I found that when – oh, Scorpius! There you are. Have you already eaten? You should have waited." Lauren had stepped out of the group and hung back to confront Scorpius as the rest of the group pointedly ignored him and entered the Great Hall.

"It's fine. I was very hungry and could see that you were busy."

"Okay, well come and sit with us now, join in the conversation." She lowered her voice to a whisper, "Come on Scorpius, it won't be as bad as you think. They're fun once you get to know them." Lauren spoke quickly, clearly excited about finding herself in such a promising social position.

"I don't want to get to know them, the little I do know of them, I hate!" Scorpius hissed back at her, his face twitching with barely concealed anger.

"Don't be like that! Don't get angry at me, I'm trying to include you. What do you want me to do, just have no other friends? Spend my whole life with you? It's not fair!" Lauren's face had taken on a slight flush as she got more and more worked up. How dare Scorpius ruin her good mood?

"Fine. It's fine. I will see you later." With that, Scorpius turned on his heel and began to stalk back to the common room. Lauren glared after him for a few seconds before scurrying off to join her new associates.

* * *

Scorpius settled down on his bed with a book but found his brain was whirling too quickly to concentrate. Making a quick decision, he changed into some more lose fitting clothes and casual shoes. He left the dungeons and made his way to the grounds where he began to slowly jog around the outside of the castle. In first year Lauren had convinced Scorpius to join her on runs around the grounds. She had claimed her mother swore running was the only way to make sure you had a respectable figure in later life, and Lauren had been excited by the prospect of having such an effect on her older, mature self; the self, in many ways, she already longed to be. While Lauren had given up after the first 3 runs when she discovered how tiring the whole ordeal was, Scorpius had continued to go on the occasional jog around the outskirts of the castle. Though he had no real interest in any kind of sport, Scorpius found it to be rather relaxing and enjoyed having time to himself outdoors. When it got hotter outside and summer approached, Scorpius would have to stop his sporadic hobby as he had no desire to run into other students who would be drawn to the heat and light of the season.

Normally Scorpius found jogging helped to calm his mind and helped him put things into perspective. Today though, it seemed as though memories were forcing themselves to the front of his mind, replaying over and over. He thought of his parents and the embarrassment he would feel if they knew how much of an outsider he truly was, he thought of Phoenix, of Lauren, of Knott and of the boy with bright green eyes who had forgotten him so easily, he thought of the sick, empty feeling that would wash over him whenever he realised how lonely he really was. He increased his speed, running as fast as he could until he could no longer breathe. Scorpius collapsed on the ground and shuffled to castle wall, leaning against it while he rested his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands, and breathed deeply. No matter how fast he ran he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something…off about him. Something wrong that other people didn't have. Something more than his family, his tattoo, his lack of friends. He lifted his head from his knees, his lower lip beginning to quiver. He glanced around, making sure that there really was no one else around. And only then did he allow himself to cry.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank again for reviews! They really are appreciated and inspire me to write more :) I'm mostly happy with this chapter, though I'm sure I'll look back in a week and want to change it. Please let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

* * *

By the end of third year, Lauren was spending nearly all her free time with Knott's gang. She had tried to involve Scorpius, inviting him to eat with them and join their conversations, but eventually she had come to accept that he was a lost cause. Honestly, it was as if the boy _wanted _to be disliked. Still, she tried her best to make an effort to keep up with her oldest friend.

Glancing around her dormitory, Lauren was satisfied that she'd packed all of her possessions. She left the room and joined the staircase heading towards the boy's dormitories. Entering the door on the second landing, Lauren's left eyebrow twitched as she took in the sight before her.

"Do you ever get bored of looking at yourself?"

Scorpius turned from the mirror and gave her a quick flash of a grin.

"Now, why would I ever do a thing like that?"

Lauren gave a bark like laugh and moved to lounge across her friend's bed. Scorpius turned back to the mirror and began twitching his nose slightly, observing every movement carefully.

"You look like a bunny rabbit when you do that, Scorpius."

"I do not! And I'm just seeing how it looks. Now I know it makes me look like …that, well, I won't do it again, will I?"

"Hm, maybe. Or maybe you'll develop a twitch and never stop doing it. And you'll be stuck looking like Babbity Rabbity for the rest of your life."

"That won't happen, stupid. You are a very strange girl sometimes." Nevertheless, Scorpius moved away from the mirror and sat down lightly on the bed next to his friend. He curled his feet under himself and turned to look her in the eye.

"All packed then?"

"Yep. Just finished. Perfect timing. How many days have you been packed for? 5? 6? More?"

"Ha Ha, you are so funny that I just might cry", Scorpius answered in a monotonous voice. "For your information I only finished packing yesterday morning. And there is nothing wrong with being organised. I've had all day free to – "

"Snog your reflection in the mirror."

"No. Though I am gorgeous enough to. Can't think of anyone else I'd rather kiss, now that you mention it."

"Ew! Scorpius, don't be so gay", Lauren giggled, shoving Scorpius slightly so that he had to fight to remain on the bed.

"You started it."

"Did not."

"Yes you did."

"Did not!"

"Did too."

"Did not!

"Did - no Lauren, I won't get into this with you. Not after that time when we were little. It went on for hours. I thought my father was going to murder us both. I don't think I'd have blamed him."

"Oh shush you! It's you're fault, you're the annoying one!" It was a nice conversation, one of the most relaxed they'd had in a long time.

"We both know that's not true. So, got much planned for the holidays? You're very welcome to come visit me, of course. We're going to France for 2 weeks, from late July to mid-August, fancy joining us? Last year was very enjoyable."

"Uhh, let me think. Well I'm staying at Sarah's for a bit in July so it depends what the dates are. She's thinking about inviting Jessie too but I reeeally don't want her to come. Jessie is just really immature, you know? She has no interest in boys or clothes, and she doesn't like doing anything fun. And of course, she's a mudblood so we'd have to spend the whole time explaining how everything works to her. It's really annoying 'cos when I'm talking to Terry and people –"

"Lauren, you can't say that!"

"What?"

"You know what. That word you used to describe Jessie. You never used to use it."

"Mudblood? Oh, don't be so dull Scorpius, it's just a description."

"No, it's not!" Lauren rolled her eyes in response. "And besides, Sarah hates anything related to dark magic and I'm sure she wouldn't like hearing you say that. And surely she hates Knott? She used to."

"Yeah, but I've been trying to get her to hang out with us a bit more and I think he's growing on her. And saying mudblood doesn't mean you're into dark stuff, it's just pointing out the obvious, like saying your hair is blonde and mine's brown. It's just stating the truth."

Scorpius felt a wave of nausea wash through his stomach as he looked into Lauren's eyes and realised she meant every word she was saying.

* * *

How had this happened? It was a disaster. The train was leaving in an hour. **ONE HOUR!** And Al still had to pack his textbooks, find his Winter Cloak, pair up his socks (half of which seemed to have gone on holiday), work out where in the Wizarding World he could have possibly left his cauldron -

"Packing going well there Alley Cat?" James was leaning casually against the doorway, smirking down at his younger brother. Al was currently sprawled across the floor as he searched desperately under his bed for his growing list of lost possessions.

"No James! It's not going well, not at all! Are you finished? Can you help me? Have you seen my Winter Cloak? Do you have any room in you trunk for –"

"Now now young one, calm down. Let's start from the top. Yes, of course I am finished, only a stupid git would still be packing now,- " Albus frowned and pouted up at his brother, " - the train leaves in one hour. I can help you, for a fee. The last time I saw your Winter Cloak was when I used it for a snow man in January. And my trunk is full."

"A fee? What kind of fee?"

"10 galleons. I'll find your cloak for you."

"10 galleons? But you were the one who stole my cloak in the first place!"

"Look, I'm not here to go into the ins and outs of it all. Either agree or deal with it yourself. Though I'd hate to see mum's face when you tell her you've lost yet another expensive item of carefully tailored clothing…"

Albus sat up on his knees and glanced desperately around the dorm, hoping his cloak might suddenly jump out at him. "Um…um…oh… fine! Fine! I'll pay you when we're on the train. Promise."

"It's a deal. See you on the train, brat."

Why was life so very, very unfair?

* * *

Run run, breathe breathe, heave heave. _Please please please may there be a carriage left. Please don't let me left alone here all Summer. I'll have to become Hagrid's manservant and look after wild and many legged beasts all Summer long. I'll be eaten. Used as a chew toy._ The other 2nd year boys had asked if he'd wanted them to wait, but no, he'd had to be polite and told them to go on, he'd make sure he left with plenty of time to spare. Or not, as it had transpired. Hurrying as fast as he could with his huge trunk, Albus was incredibly relieved when he rounded the corner and there were still a few final carriages left to take him to the Hogwarts Express. _Thank goodness for that. _

The carriage ride was over quickly. Albus heaved his heavy trunk out of the carriage, stumbled across the path, and finally reached the train door. To his humiliation, it took him several attempts to successfully hoist his trunk onto the train. He moved clumsily through the narrow hallway as he peered through the glass windows into the compartments and sought out his friends. 6th years, 6th years, Slytherins, 4th years, Alison the Hufflepuff (Al waved at her, dropping his trunk on his foot as he did so), and on it went until he reached a compartment containing Malfoy and his friend. Outside this compartment he was met by his debt collector.

"Made it then did you?" James chuckled at his brother's dishevelled appearance.

"Yeah, I, ju-just about. I'm so – so – so out of breathe. I ran. Ran, ran, ran and –"

"Well as lovely as this story is, I just came to see if I could get my money. Want to get stuff from the trolley."

"Now? Can't you wa-wait till I'm sat down. My purse's at the bottom of my bag."

"Firstly, you don't have a purse. You're a boy, apparently, so you have a wallet. And I don't want to wait. Come oooon Al."

"Fine, fine, I'll get it." Al threw himself onto his knees and undid his trunk. He rummaged through his things, throwing bits and pieces across the floor in his haste to find his money.

"There you go, 10 galleons. Have you seen Rose or Frank?"

"Yeah they're like 5 down that way. See you later, midget."

"Could you help me tidy up? Oh you've gone, that's okay, I've got it, no problem – "

"Would you like a hand with that?" Albus's head lurched up, his face flushing with embarrassment at having been caught muttering to himself.

His gaze met a pair of icy blue eyes.

"Malfoy! I knew you were there, I mean , I know it sounded like I was talking to myself but –", Scorpius quirked an eyebrow, "-okay, so I was talking to myself. Sorry. I know it's a bit weird..."

Scorpius gazed unblinking at Al for a few moments. These moments felt like hours to Al. Awkward, uncomfortable hours.

"Albus, you can talk to whoever you want. If you find that the only decent conversationalist around is yourself, then who am I to judge?" Scorpius scanned the floor before picking an item up. "Now, in which section of your trunk does this, eh, creature belong?"

Albus blinked in confusion at the Slytherin before looking down at the item the blonde boy was now holding. _Oh dear God. Oh no. Life should never be this embarrassing. I want to die._ There, looking completely out of place in the Malfoy heir's elegant hand, was Jason. Jason Bearington. The blue bear Al had owned since he was 4. The blue bear James had tried to flush down the toilet when he was 7. The blue bear Lily had been sick on when she'd eaten too much of her own birthday cake. The blue bear Al treasured above all other things, despite the fact he was the most threadbare, raggedy creation known to man. Al's dearest, oldest friend who was currently ruining his life.

"That's, well that's …Jason. He goes…he goes… anywhere." Al couldn't find it in himself to watch as Scorpius carefully placed Jason on top of a pile of his screwed up underwear. The two boys carried on silently picking things of the floor and putting them in the trunk until Scorpius felt the need to somehow comfort the distraught boy in front of him.

"It seems like Jason is…well used. Have you had him a long time?" Poor, stuttering, teddy bear loving Albus. As if picking ones pants of the floor of a train with a stranger wasn't traumatising enough.

"Erm, yeah. I've had him for a long time. Do you have …never mind. Thanks for helping me pack Malfoy. If you like you could never talk about Jason to anyone again. Thanks. Um, have a nice Summer." Al shuffled off down the corridor as quickly as he could.

"You too, Potter." Scorpius wasn't sure what made him say it, but as Al moved further away, he called after him, "Oh, and Albus?" Albus turned hesitantly, clearly expecting a parting scornful remark. "A green dinosaur named Hattie. Buried deep, deep within my trunk."

Albus blinked at Scorpius, a look of shock apparent on his face. But it was what came afterwards that would stay with Scorpius for months to come. Albus's head cocked to the side as his face slid into a lopsided grin. He let out a quiet, breathy laugh. The boys held each other's eye contact for a few seconds before Al turned back to his corridor expedition. The innocent, playful grin Al had given Scorpius would stay locked in the taller boy' mind, to later be replayed over and over again. The gasp of a laugh would help Scorpius unlock a secret about himself he'd kind of known all along.


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a fairly typical Summer holiday for Al. A two week break in Southern Spain with his siblings and parents and various Weasley relatives, plenty of family meals, quidditch games and trying avoid James and his 'hilarious' antics had kept Al busy from July until September. He approached 4th year with mixed emotions. He loved Hogwarts, loved the building, the food, the classes (well, most of them). It was just he always found himself getting rather homesick, particularly in the last month before Christmas. But he was 14 now. 14-year-olds didn't get homesick. 4th years were meant to spend their time year relishing their freedom before OWLs, swimming in the lake, throwing things at teachers when their backs were turned, kissing girls and…and…other things. This year, Al vowed, this year would be different. He was finally going to make a name for himself at school. While he may not have been the recently chosen Gryffindor quidditch captain like his brother, he still had his talents. He was good at charms. And he could transfigure a hedgehog into a mug as if he were born to do it. And he was …friendly? People liked friendly people. After all, the very nature of the word suggests an excess of friends, doesn't it? And you only had friends if people liked you. Yes. Exactly.

But the problem with this logic was that these things had been true last year and Al had still found himself watching his friends become adolescent, social butterflies, while he had simply seemed to nuzzle deeper and deeper into his cocoon of awkwardness and self-doubt. His Mum had taken him aside one afternoon in August and discussed this very issue with him.

"_So Al. How was school this year?" _

"_Good. Fun. Lots of work and things. No offense mum, but we've kind of chatted about this already…"_

"_Yes, yes I know that, thank you very much. I just wanted to talk to you away from your brother and sister. You know, just wanted to know about friends and that sort of thing." Al looked at his Mum's expectant face in confusion. _

"_What about my friends? You want to know who I spend time with?" Ginny nodded. "Um, well, Frank, obviously. Rose. And her friends. People in my dorm. People in classes…just, well, people", Al finished lamely. _

"_Mmm…darling, don't be upset about this, but I was wondering…are there any people you're friends with who you met…yourself?" Al blinked at her. Of course he had made his own friends. And anyway, it was impossible to make a friend who wasn't already a connection of some member of his family, there were so many of them! _

"_I've got friends", Al blurted. _

"_Oh! I know! I didn't mean it like that. You're a very sweet, clever boy, of course you have friends. But -," she lowered her voice and her eyes turned soft, "I also know that you find it hard talking to people you don't know." _I find it hard talking to people I **do** know,_ Al thought to himself. "I just want to make sure that you know that you deserve friends Al. You really do. I'm very lucky to have a son as wonderful as you and you'd be a brilliant friend to anyone. I see it in your face sometimes; you're always putting yourself down. I know Jamie likes to wind you up and say stupid thing, but he doesn't mean it. It's just what older brother do; trust me, I have enough of them to know what I'm talking about. I want you to promise me, promise me you'll try and make the most of who you are." Well. This was all quite unexpected. Al didn't really know how he was supposed to respond, yet an answer of some kind seemed to be required. _

" _Um. Yes. Ok. Yes." _

"_Yes. Good. Well, now that sufficiently awkward conversation is out the way, let's go watch Ron thrash Hermione at chess. The game itself will be rather dull, but the resulting argument should be spectacular entertainment."_

Al had been trying to take his Mum's advice on board, he really had. It was just hard to feel good about himself when, for every skill he possessed, he could think of at least one family member who was better than him. While Al was quite clever, Rose was more intelligent than him. He was friendly enough, but James was so very likeable, he seemed to possess a rare blend of cocky swagger and a sincere desire to get to know people that other students warmed to him instantly. While some of Al's awkward, bizarre comments would sometimes make people laugh, Frank was sharp, witty and confident, he ruled the 4th year Gryffindor's and they adored him for it. Al had always been rather good at swimming, but his 7th year cousin Fred was going to Australia to train with the WWS (Wizards Water Sports) and on and on it went until Al began to feel like he was sinking in a sea of his own inadequacies.

So. Maybe this wasn't going to be quite the revolutionary year he had hoped for.

Scorpius had mixed feelings about returning to Hogwarts this year. On one hand, he was looking forward to getting back to his classes (particularly Astronomy which, no matter what his father thought, he found to be simply fascinating). He'd also missed the castle over the long break; he'd always loved to wander the corridors of the ancient, enchanted building, climbing the winding staircases and letting them take him wherever they pleased. The downside was that he would miss his parents, as he always did. Though they were not really the touchy feely type, they always seemed to accept him in their own, reserved way. His father liked to give him long, stern lectures about the correct way of doing things and conducting himself in public that often ended in phrases such as; "But of course, if you happen to find a better way of doing things that is more suitable to your own disposition, well then it is up to you to judge for yourself". This tended to make the whole thing seem rather pointless to the younger Malfoy, but at least his father meant well. While Draco Malfoy could by no means be described as a warm and fuzzy character, he had grown to possess a deep routed loyalty for those he cared about. And Scorpius knew his father cared for him. He had grown accustomed to looking for the small signs of his father's favour; a slight smile and nod of the head from Draco Malfoy often meant far more than the bone-crunching hugs and sloppy kisses of other parents.

Astoria Malfoy was a rather attractive dark-haired witch. Like her husband she was fairly reserved, particularly in public, and carried herself with an air of utmost sophistication. However Scorpius knew that there was a mischievous, almost cheeky side to his mother. She was always the one who let Scorpius push the boundaries, the one who turned a blind eye when she caught him sneaking down to the kitchens to eats sweets in the early hours of the morning. She liked to tease her husband when his speech became too pretentious, his tone too superior and when he spoke in this manner she would often refer to him as 'Lord Pompous'. One of Scorpius' most prized possessions was a picture of him and his mother together on his parent's bed. The photograph was taken when he was about 4-years-old and showed a giggling Scorpius wearing one of his mother's more ostentatious hats while she watched him with an expression the purest joy. While his father was not in the photo, he had taken it and so was still a part of the moment. Scorpius adored the picture as it showed a side his family most people could and would never see.

Thoughts of Lauren also made Scorpius feel uneasy about returning to Hogwarts for his 4th year. While they had written to each other during the holidays and met up once, at a Summer ball hosted by her mother Pansy, the friendship was becoming increasingly strained. They seemed to quickly run out of conversation topics and had to revert to reminiscing about 'old times', times that were actually only about a year ago. Scorpius hated the idea of his friend spending so much time with such an untrustworthy group of people, particularly the despicable Knott. His only hope was that Phoenix would remember something of their days of camaraderie and look out for her.

Yet none of these things were the main cause of his mixed feeling towards returning to school. The main reason stood at roughly 5ft 4, had messy black hair and the greenest of eyes. Scorpius had become used to daydreaming about Albus Potter over the past few years, often imagining what he might be doing, whether he would be enjoying himself or eagerly awaiting the start of a new academic year. It was simply a habit, like looking at his nails when he was uncomfortable or eating the corners of a sandwich before the rest of it. But something had changed. Something he had been dimly aware of for the past few months but had defiantly ignored.

Scorpius had discovered masturbation a few months into his third year. While it was not something he indulged in on a particularly regularly basis, with it often leaving him feeling slightly dirty and oddly lonely, he did find it to be a successful way of relieving tension. He never really thought of much while touching himself and simply allowed himself to enjoy the sensation. It was during dinner one night in July that a life-changing thought occurred to him.

"_- which is of course a ridiculous notion, our house elves are paid a wage deemed perfectly acceptable by the ministry. Who was this – this – _**hag**_ of a woman to say otherwise?"_

_Scorpius let his father's voice wash over him. Being a man who kept most of his emotions hidden from view in public, Draco liked to come home and vent to his family. Scorpius understood this of course but still found it to become tedious at times. He was beginning to cut into his treacle tart when he suddenly recognised a warm fuzzy feeling just behind his navel. Arousal. He was becoming aroused while eating treacle tart and listening to his father go on and on about house elves. Well. Teenage boys really did get turned on by absolutely nothing, didn't they? This was certainly not the time for those kind of feelings and Scorpius was determined to try and distract his brain from the pleasant sensation stirring within. _

"_Am I not within my rights to sit on a bench that just so happens to be opposite Knockturn Alley? The looks they were giving me…as if they were all just waiting for me to jump up and go on some evil shopping spree. Just assuming I shop down Knockturn Alley."_

"_Yes darling, but you do shop down Knockturn Alley."_

"_Only for potion ingredients. And that isn't the point and you know it. The point is –"_

_Scorpius settled upon thinking about what Albus Potter would be eating for dinner. Would he be eating now? Maybe not. Maybe he ate earlier. He could imagine the Potter's eating earlier. Albus always ate rather absentmindedly, often spilling food down himself. He would lick his lips while nodded along to something one of his housemates was telling him. Scorpius quite liked Albus' lips. They weren't particularly full but neither could they be called thin. They were normally a pale pink, unless he had been biting them in which case they turned slightly red. In the instant of biting them however, they would turn white around the tooth. Yes, Scorpius liked Potter's lips. They would be mostly soft but with areas of jagged skin from where he worried them. They would feel nice against his own lips. Better than Carley Jenkins', a slightly older Slytherin student who had taken a liking to Scorpius and stolen his first kiss after luring him to a secluded corner of the common room. And suddenly the thought hit him. What if he touched himself while thinking about Albus' lips? And his neck? And his hair? While thinking about touching his hair? He could do it, no one would know, it would be just for him…and it would feel so good, better than ever before, he knew it…._

"_You see! You see the injustice of it all? When I see her again – "_

"_Father! Sorry to interrupt but may I be excused?" Scorpius spoke quickly, his desire to leave the dining table taking over his usually calm and collected manner of speaking._

"_Excuse me?"_

"_May I be excused? I've finished. I'm not hungry anymore. I would like to go and read. In my room. My bedroom." Draco glanced at his wife who raised an eyebrow in reply._

"_I don't see why not. You are excused."_

"_Thank you." Scorpius half-leapt out of his chair and quickly walked to the door. Once outside of the room he ran to his bedroom, locked the door and turned out the light. He stood breathing heavily with his back to the door for a few moments before walking over to his bed and lying down. He could hear the blood pumping in his ears as he undid the buckle of his belt, the sound of the action only causing his arousal to increase. He wriggled his trousers down just past his waist. He slipped his left hand underneath the fabric of his black boxers and began to slowly stroke himself. He closed his eyes and thought of Albus. His messy, tuggable hair, his bright, acid green eyes, his neck, his skin, his scent, his edible lips, his taut stomach, the slight trail of hair that would lead down from his naval, his – his –his - Scorpius was now tugging at himself, completely lost in his fantasy where everywhere, everything was Albus. It was like a dam had been released; thoughts and feelings he'd been telling himself he was too young, too normal, too straight to have came bubbling up and were released in one, blissful moment of pleasure. Scorpius lay still with his eyes closed for a few moments. As soon as the haze of pleasure had began to thaw, panic had set in. What had he done? He slowly opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. He looked down at himself and nearly shuddered in disgust. He looked absolutely ridiculous, half undressed, covered in his own sticky, repulsive semen. He reached for the tissues under his bed and quickly wiped himself clean before changing into his pyjamas, climbing into bed and pulling the covers over his head. He felt like he was being crushed under waves of shame. Just imagine if people knew! His father, his mother, Lauren… Albus. Oh God, Albus. Sweet, shy, innocent Albus. What would he think if he knew? If he knew that some random Slytherin, a boy he'd spoken to, what, 4 times, had just touched himself while thinking only of Albus. It was just repulsive. And on top of that, Scorpius had most definitely come to a realisation. He liked to look at Albus because he wanted him in a sexual way. Because he was a pervert. Because he was gay._

This revelation had possessed Scorpius for the remaining weeks of the holidays. Every time he looked at his parents he wondered if they knew. He looked at the world and could hardly understand why it kept on turning, why it hadn't changed beyond all recognition. Because he had. He felt like he now truly understood why people looked at him the way they did. It wasn't because of the war, because of his family, even if they themselves thought it was. It was because they _knew_, somehow, subconsciously maybe. He was torn between wanting to run away from his parents wanting to flee from their questioning glances, and wanting to hide in their protective embrace forever. Because when he went back to school he'd have to see Albus everywhere. Part of him, even now, rejoiced at this. But the other part felt sick with regret and self-loathing at the thought. Albus would look at him, completely unaware that he would be looking into the face of a boy who had practically mentally assaulted him.

And so it was with a deep sense of unease and a tentative step that Scorpius boarded the Hogwarts Express for his fourth year.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: It's been a long time coming, sorry for the wait! Life has a way of getting in the way. Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think (in a constructive way :D)

* * *

"Okay class, settle down. Yes Mr Turner, that means you too. Thank you. So today we begin our study of more recent history. Of course, there is much debate over whether this time period can really be described as history, given that the events took place only several decades ago. Some believe this is instead an issue of current affairs. However, for the sake of this class it really makes no difference, as we will be studying it regardless. We will start today by looking at some of the lasting effects of the Great War, a war that, as I'm sure you know, had two main peaks of activity. Can anyone tell me what effects of the war are apparent in our current society?"

_Great,_ Al thought. _A whole series of classes centred around the war that made my family name legendary. _Al glanced to his left and sure enough, people were staring at him. They seemed to be expecting him to say something. Well, they'd just have to keep waiting. What did they think he was going to do, stand up and give a great speech about the war stories his dad had told him? As if. No, Al would spend this lesson trying to ignore the stares and trying to show off as little of his resemblance to Harry Potter as possible.

"Indeed Miss Ellison, there are still markings in the stones of this very castle that remain from the final battle. Can anyone else name any lasting effects of the war?"

Rose raised her hand. People leaned forward in anticipation.

"Yes, Miss Weasley?"

"Well Professor, as you mentioned, these are such recent events that it can be hard, perhaps impossible, to analyse all the effects of the war. But I would argue that one of the greatest effects of the war was that it opened people's eyes to how absurd the notion of pureblood supremacy really is. It brought people together, in a roundabout way. I think that, although of course this is a generalisation, people tend to be more accepting of different blood statuses than they were before the war."

"An interesting point indeed, and one that has remarkable parallels to the effects of the Centaur War in Persia 1534. Does anyone else have anything to add? Yes Miss Clarke." Jessie Clarke, a Slytherin girl that Albus had always thought looked a bit confused by life, sat up straighter in her chair and answered in a smug voice.

"The Death Children. The kids with the numbers on their arm. That's an effect, isn't it?" If Albus had eyes in the back of his head he would have seen the boy behind him stiffen in his chair.

* * *

Scorpius had been waiting for this to be brought up but he still felt a wave nauseating shock pass over him when Jessie spoke. And it would be her, wouldn't it? Thinking she understood all the ins and outs of the war, ready to pass the blame on to anyone she thought untrustworthy. All Scorpius could do was keep his head down and hope that nobody drew attention to him.

Professor Binns gazed at Jessie for a moment. "Yes that is an effect, though we will not be referring to the individuals marked in this way as Death Children. This is a crass, colloquial term that has no place in this classroom. After the war, many people were concerned that being a Death Eater or being involved with the Dark Arts was a kind of trait that ran in certain families. Evidence seemed to suggest that many Death Eaters involved in the second peak of activity of the war were related to those involved in the first. On top of this numerous foreign wizarding leaders sought a way to stop these distrusted people from seeking refuge in their countries, with many countries being truly shocked by the barbaric nature of the war. It was proposed that a kind of trace would be placed on the Dark Mark, a tattoo worn by the most loyal of Lord Voldemort's followers. This trace would be activated if the person left Britain and would allow officials of the foreign country to locate the unwanted guest and send them on their way. This applied to all Death Eater who were not sent to Azkaban. It was also decided that for the next two decades, all offspring of former Death Eaters would be given a mark that acted in the same way, with a series of numbers being tattooed on the left arm of these children. There was of course protest to this plan of action, perhaps most notably from Harry Potter himself who, like others, believed the marks to be unjust and thought they would only lead to further segregation within the wizarding community. However, the majority of the public believed that a point had to be made and that it would help Britain to remain a trusted ally to other countries. This was important as several countries revealed doubts about how civilised a country Britain could really be after such events had occurred. If you open your text books to page 342, you will find a quotation from the Italian Minister for Magic at the time who claimed that – "

Scorpius stared unblinkingly ahead. He refused to acknowledge the students gazing at his left arm, hoping, it seemed, that they would be able to see through the fabric and view the mark that lay beneath. He could hear snippets of whispered conversations going on around him and knew that at least half of them were discussing what a good idea the marks were, how these people deserved to be branded after what they had done. And the funny thing was that Scorpius almost agreed; he knew his family had done terrible things. It was just hard sometimes to stop himself from feeling self-pity. He had never tortured or killed anyone. He hated Dark Magic as much as the next person. But he knew the sins of the father had been passed on to his son in the eyes of most people, and they wanted him to be punished accordingly.

* * *

After dinner that evening Albus headed towards the library. It was only the first week of school but he was already getting stressed about the amount of work they were getting. Every Professor insisted that OWLs began in fourth year, an idea that hadn't really occurred to him before and made him feel a bit sick. Al pushed open the large wooden doors to the library and shuffled inside. Maybe he could find a text book that would help him understand his history of magic text book. It really made no sense to – "ARGH!" Albus shrieked as he was pulled backwards by his neck. Somehow he had gotten his tie trapped in the large doors. Eurgh. Only he would accidentally strangle himself in the library. Giving his tie a quick tug to release it from the doors, Al hurried over to the other side of the library, frantically hoping that nobody had been watching him. Life was too embarrassing.

Scorpius lazily strolled along an aisle, his hand stroking the spines of the ancient books. He liked the library. It was a quiet place that he had always found to be quite inviting. There was something about the age of the books that surrounded him that he found incredibly appealing. He supposed it reminded him slightly of his library at home, though of course it was far – "Ow! Oh! Sorry, didn't see you, I was just, well I got trapped in the door actually and it made me, uh, it made me… hi Scorpius." Scorpius blinked in shock. Out of nowhere Albus Potter had suddenly appeared and almost ran him over, such was the speed at which he was travelling.

"Er. Hello Albus." This wasn't fair at all. He'd been doing so well, trying so hard to not look at him or think about him. But then suddenly all his good work was undone. Because here was Albus, all flustered and embarrassed and smiling awkwardly. He was so lovely. His brain desperately searched for something to say, something that would keep the other boy here with him.

"How are you finding classes?" How wonderfully boring. Nice work Scorpius. What an interesting person you have proved yourself to be.

"Okay mostly, thanks. History of magic is hard though. Most of the stuff we were talking about went over my head really, like the stuff with the marks and all the other countries and – oh. Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't think! I don't think it was nice of them to do it, you didn't do anything, it was your family – though, er, I'm sure they're nice too." Albus desperately searched for a way to save the conversation. "I mean, can you really not go to other countries?" That was not any better. "Although here is fine really! We all live here, so we must like it and – "

"Albus. It's okay. Calm down" Scorpius smiled kindly at the dark haired boy. "It's just one of those things. Anyway, I can travel to France without any problems. Mother and Father have connections there you see."

"Yeah. I like France, though I can't speak French. Also, guess what? I learnt a new dance! I can show you if you want, at the next ball. Isn't it weird that it's been nearly two years since the last one? I was so happy the one in third year was cancelled. Do you know why that was?"

"Mhm, there was an infestation of pixies due to a prank gone awry. I look forward to seeing your new dance." Scorpius had to leave. He couldn't carry on this conversation for much longer without doing something stupid like shouting out 'Your eyes make my heart hurt' or 'Can I smell your hair?' or the worst of the lot, ' I touch my penis and think of your lips!'. No, it was time to leave.

"Well Albus I must being going now. Goodnight and watch out for doors."

"Night Scorpius!"

Scorpius walked away in what he hoped was a casual fashion. His legs felt like they were made of lead. He walked back to his dorm in a dream-like state. He knew he had to stop thinking like this but it was so hard, something about the other boy just made him feel glad to be alive. It was all terribly soppy and pathetic but there was nothing he could do about it.

When Scorpius entered his room it was a shock to find Lauren sitting on his bed.

"Hi Lauren. Were you waiting for me?"

"Scorpius... Scorpius, I need t-to tell you something. About Summer." She looked up and Scorpius felt his stomach lurch as realised her eyes were red raw from crying.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: New Years resolution= update more reguraly. Thanks for sticking with it! :)

* * *

The look in her eyes terrified him. Made him want to run far, far away and not deal with whatever horrible reality this conversation would involve. Because he hadn't expected this. He'd begun to accept Lauren was gone, never to return to his side. He was normally so good at predicting people; he'd seen that Lauren was having a great time with her new friends and didn't need him anymore, he'd seen that she was perfectly happy. This didn't make sense.

Scorpius took a few tentative steps over to his bed and sat down next to Lauren, still leaving a few inches between them so that he could get a good look at her face.

"Okay….okay, you can tell me. You know you can tell me."

Inside his heart had begun to beat wildly. Nothing made Lauren cry. The last time he remembered her crying they were about 8 and she had gotten her finger trapped in a door. What had happened? Was it something he had done? His fingers gripped the bed covers as though to stop himself from running out the door.

Lauren was now staring at his face with a kind of desperation in her eyes.

"Well, over Summer…you know how I went to stay with Sarah in Summer?"

"Yes. You didn't want to Jessie to come."

"What? Oh yeah, no she didn't come in the end. Went to Spain with her family. Or Italy or something, I don't know. Um. Yeah, I was at Sarah's and we went to Diagon Alley to meet up with people. I would have invited you but I know you don't like that lot." Scorpius felt a bit hurt but supposed it was true; he wouldn't have gone even if he had been invited. "And we were just looking around shops and stuff and then Kn-nott said that he was having people back to his. For a party. So I wanted to go but Sarah said she wouldn't be allowed and that I was staying with her and so I shouldn't go either. But I really wanted to go. I thought it would be fun, I was so happy to have been invited." She was now looking at the bed sheets, though her eyes would occasionally flick back up to Scorpius' concerned face. "So I went anyway, and just left her. I just left her there! Isn't that awful? She had to go home and make up an excuse for me to her parents. I'm not sure what she said. So I was at Knott's and there were only a few people there really. All Slytherins from Knott's year. There was a lot to drink, of course. Firewhiskey and wine mostly I think, I didn't much like the taste but I drank along with the rest of them. Had to keep up, didn't I? Didn't want them remembering how much younger I was. And it got to about 12 and I was feeling really drunk and everyone left, I was going to go but Knott said I should stay, that I was in no fit state to travel. Neither was anyone else really but I didn't think of that at the time. I'd always liked Knott. I guess he knew that. I bet you knew that too, didn't you Scorpius? You always know these things. I can't remember how it happened but he kissed me. And I kissed him back and it was nice. Really…nice. And his hands were…were…everywhere. But I didn't mind." Her voice was filled with self-loathing, hating her past self it seemed for her naïvety. "It made me feel mature. Isn't that so stupid? Pathetic. And then he started undressing me. I didn't notice what he was doing for a while, I was too drunk."

Scorpius wanted her to stop talking. He knew where this was going. He didn't want to hear, but it was as though Lauren felt compelled to speak, and she just kept talking and talking and talking… "When I noticed, I told him that he shouldn't. But he said it was okay. He said it would be fun. So I let him. And then there I was, probably looking absolutely ridiculous, laid out and naked and I panicked. I tried to push him off but he carried on and it hurt so much. I told him to stop but he said not to be such a-a baby. So I just closed my eyes and waited till it was over. I got dressed and he gave me some floo powder and then, just as I was about to leave, he said something I'll never forget. He said 'I woudn't have thought someone who wears the clothes you do would be so fucking frigid.'" Lauren burst into tears. She cried silently with one hand covering her face and the other clutching across her stomach, as though holding her together.

Scorpius was shaking with anger. How dare he? How fucking dare he? He would pay for this. He'd always known Knott was a sick bastard, but this? This was beyond anything he'd imagined. He put his left arm round Lauren's trembling shoulders and brought his right hand up to pull her hand from her face.

"Lauren? Lauren, it's okay. This wasn't your fault. You did nothing wrong. It's him, okay? He needs to pay. We should tell someone. He could go to Azkaban for this."

"What? No! No, no-one can know. And anyway it wasn't like that, I wanted it but I changed my mind. That's not the same thing."

"Yes it is. And you're underage and he's not. It's assault." His voice softened. "Lauren, it's rape."

"No it's not. And we're not telling anyone. Please, I can't have them knowing. Only you. You're the only one I trust, Scorpius.

Scorpius didn't know what to do. How was he supposed to handle this? It was too much, one wrong move and he could ruin everything for her. He had to think clearly. So he couldn't tell anyone. Well, he supposed it was Lauren's to tell. And she had chosen to tell him because she needed his support and so he had to give it to her. But that didn't mean he couldn't make Knott pay. He would have to remain alert, constantly watching for a weakness that could bring the older boy down. No matter how long it took, he would do it. Scorpius wasn't a Slytherin for nothing.

* * *

Over the weeks that followed Scorpius observed Knott with an intensity he normally reserved for watching Albus Potter. He watched him at meal times and while he was socialising in the common room. He watched as he swaggered down the hallways and bullied fellow students at random. While he normally tried to block out the prattling of Knott and his minions, Scorpius purposefully sat closer to them than felt comfortable, trying to overhear a snippet of information that would help bring Knott to his knees.

But so far, it was all to no avail. It was absolutely infuriating. While everyone knew that Knott was a first class prat it was hard to provide evidence of any convictable cruelty. Terrence Knott, it seemed, was nothing if not cautious. All his nefarious dealings seemed to go on behind tightly closed doors that Scorpius had no way of getting through. Lauren wasn't helping matters either. It was as though she was making up for the time she had lost with Scorpius. She had glued herself to his side and it was a very rare moment indeed that Scorpius found himself alone and free to watch Knott without her constant distractions. For whenever she noticed Scorpius looking in the 7th year's direction she became flustered and tried to call his attention away to something else.

"Look Scorpius, Scarlett Jury has the most ridiculous hat on today. How many ostriches died to create such a beast, do you think?"

"Scorpius, help me with this charms essay would you? Yes, I know it's finished, but it could be better, and it would be with your help."

Or if she was really desperate;

"Look at the ceiling today. What kind of weather do you suppose we'll be having this week?"

As much as Scorpius wanted to hurt Knott, he couldn't do it at Lauren's expense. The idea of Scorpius confronting Knott obviously terrified her. And so the waiting continued.

There was, of course, another obstacle in Scorpius' Knott watch. An obstacle that was always on Scorpius' mind and distracted him from focussing on anything for any descent amount of time.

Potter had started chewing the cuffs of his sleeves towards the beginning of the year. It left them tatty and often moist and dark with saliva. _Someone should reparo those for him, especially as he struggles with charms,_ Scorpius thought. But no-one seemed to have noticed. Well, almost no-one. The other day Bathsheba Jameson from Ravenclaw had watched in disgust as the Gryffindor had chewed absentmindedly on the cuff of his robes while frowning down at his charms notes.

"Potter, that is so gross. Stop it, you'll get spit on me. Hello?" She waved her hand in front of his face. "Are you listening to me? Stop it, I can't concentrate!" Albus looked up from his notes, his face going red as he took in what the uptight girl had said.

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't think that – didn't realise, you know. I'll just…yeah. Sorry."

Stupid, rude, inconsiderate Ravenclaw. What did it matter to her if Potter wanted to chew on his own clothes? It was entirely his own decision, his property to chew at his will. Scorpius didn't mind, not at all. In fact he found the whole motion rather hypnotic to watch, and sometimes he caught glimpses of Albus's tongue as it lazily trailed across the fabric. Jameson was lucky to be so close to him. He was, as Scorpius had noted countless times before, quite lovely.

It seemed that despite his new obsession with Knott, the real object of his attention and fascination remained the same. It was getting quite difficult to handle now. He'd had to give in to his urges, no matter how disgusted he felt with himself, and now regularly repeated his shameful Summer activity. Touching himself to images of Albus had become part of his near-daily routine. The images in his head were becoming more and more specific and sensual. He imagined what it would be like to have Albus whisper in his ear, to feel his lips against his ear and his breath flow across his neck. To have Albus' hands trail lightly down his sides. Over his hips and across his stomach. Between his legs. Kissing him, the dark haired boy's tongue caressing his as it did the fabric of his own sleeve.

It was all fantasy of course, and had not a chance in hell of ever becoming reality. Scorpius told himself this every time he thought of Albus; it just wouldn't do to get his hopes up. Yes, they'd had a couple of meetings at Winter Balls. Yes, they once had a conversation in the library. But it meant nothing. Nothing at all. But there were moments. Moments when Scorpius would smile at Albus as they passed in the hallway and Albus would smile faintly back. Probably completely automatically and without even realising who he was smiling at. And yet in these moments Scorpius allowed himself the thought of a fool…_what if._

* * *

How? How had this happened? How had it come about so very quickly? Had it really been two whole years since the last Winter Ball? And this year it would be worse than ever before. Because this year he was taking a girl. It had been, as many terrible things in Albus' life were, all Frank's idea.

"Go on Al, she's Alison's best-friend. It will be like a double date, only we don't have to pay for anything!" Apart from new dress robes. Expensive, stupid new dress robes that made Albus feel like he was wearing a woman's nightgown.

"But I don't know Clarissa!" Frank stared at him blankly.

"Albus, she's been in our year for the last 3 and a half year," _3 years and 4 months, actually. _"She sits with us whenever Alison does. Come on man, it will make them both so happy. And you know what a happy girlfriend means." He winked in what was obviously meant to be a show of macho camaraderie. Albus didn't like it, not one bit. And he didn't like being called 'man'. What did it mean exactly? Was it just a way of pointing out his gender? What purpose did it serve in conversation? People should think about these things before casually slinging words around. Words should mean something, not just be –

"So you'll do it yeah? Please? You know I'd do the same for you!" Puppy dog eyes. Stupid puppy dog eyes.

"Fine. Fine, I'll do it. But it's not a date! It's just a…well, I don't know what it is, but it's not that."

"Whatever you say, dude." Dude. What on earth did dude mean? Did Frank think that – right, never mind, not the time for those thoughts. Instead, it was time to wander over to the Hufflepuff table and mumble, 'want to come to the ball with me as a friend?" somewhere in Clarissa's vague direction. Except she didn't hear the first few times so he had to increase his volume and repeat the question. In doing so he'd attracted the attention of some of the older students and so it was amid humiliating cries of 'awww' that Clarissa replied that of course she'd go with him. What fun they'd have. They should get dress robes of the same colour. They could take photos together before they went, maybe with Frank and Alison in hilarious poses while clasping bottles of butterbeer to show how much fun they were having.

Oh, what a joyous night it would be.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thank you for sticking with this story! My life is very hectic atm as I'm in my final year of uni so, as you have probably noticed, I don't exactly keep to a strict updating schedule (SwimmingInLane3 - ...New Year's resolutions are overrated :D). I'll try to get the next chapter up sometime within the next decade.

Oh, what a joyous night it was turning out not to be. Clarissa kept casually leaning against Albus and it was getting rather annoying. Why could she not hold herself upright? If she was already so tired of standing they should go and sit down, just like Al had suggested. But not, she had refused and had begun to increase the pressure of her leans. Al didn't know what he was meant to make of this bizarre behaviour but he was pretty sure that if Clarissa pushed just the tiniest bit harder he was going to fall on the finger buffet.

"So Clarissa, how long have you and Al been a couple then? He never told me anything about this…union." What? Couple? Union? No no no, he'd asked her as a friend. AS A FRIEND! Which in itself was a lie as he'd never really spoken to her before tonight.

Clarissa giggled and lay her head on Al's shoulder. "Well we're not technically a couple. We're just seeing how it goes I guess, I mean this is only our first date after all. But we'll just have to wait and see…."

Rose raised an eyebrow at the simpering girl before her. "Quite. Al can I have a word with you? Don't worry Clarissa, I'll return your date to you in no time."

Rose grasped Albus' elbow and pulled him towards a quiet corner of the room. Clarissa stumbled slightly after the unexpected loss of her new favourite leaning post.

"Clarissa Bones? You are on a date with Clarissa Bones? Honestly Al, what were you thinking? The girl is an utter moron, and that's being kind."

"I didn't ask her on a date! I said as friends!"

"Since when were the two of you friends?"

"Well I guess since tonight. I can make my own friends you know."

"Don't get snippy with me, I'm only trying to stop you from making a terrible mistake. She'll follow you around like a puppy if you give her even the slightest bit of attention. And she's not even that pretty. I mean, yes she's got the whole big blue eye thing going for her but really, that's her only redeeming feature –"

"Rosie, don't be so mean! She's nice enough really."

"Mhm. Oh look, Miss nice enough is waving at you. How nice of her."

Al turned to look over his shoulder. Sure enough, there Clarissa stood, waving enthusiastically with one hand while the other clutched a glass of bright red punch.

"That's the third glass I've seen her drink since we've been standing here. Do you have any idea how much alcohol is in that stuff?"

"I though Professor McGonogall had put a charm on it so that –"

"She does that every year; people always find a way around it. Anyway, I've done my good deed and warned you. The rest is up to you." Rose gave a long, exasperated sigh and ran a hand through her long, wavy hair. She looked away for a moment and then returned her gaze to Al, her eyes lighting up as a thought formed. "Though I don't approve of all of this, make sure you tell me if anything happens with her. I bet poor old Clarissa would love a smooch under the mistletoe." She left with a smirk and a flick of her blazing hair.

* * *

He shouldn't have come here. Obviously. It was masochistic really. Potter had his date, he had no need to visit Scorpius for a dance again. After all, it had been two years since the last ball…but he had said in the library that he'd show Scorpius a dance he'd learnt…_stop it. Just stop it. 5 more minutes, just 5 more and then I'm going back inside._

Scorpius sighed and watched the white wisps of air escape his mouth. He glanced up at a nearby tree. Each twig was covered in glittering frost. They almost looked as though they were incrusted with tiny diamonds. It was really quite –

"I thought you were out here! God, it's cold, isn't it?" Scorpius turned to see Albus shuffling towards him through the snow. His hands were rubbing together in an attempt to keep warm and he wore a small, lopsided smile on his face.

"Oh. Yes, yes it is. I was rather bored inside. I didn't know if you'd come this year, it would have been silly to expect you to. Though I'm glad you did." Albus' smile split into a grin and Scorpius had to bite his cheek to keep himself from grinning in return.

"Of course I wanted to come! It's like… like a tradition now, isn't it? Anyway, I'm having a really crap time of it in there."

"Oh? How so?"

"Frank convinced me to bring a girl this year. As a friend, he said, but she doesn't seem to think so at all! She keeps rubbing against me and I don't really know what to do about it. Do you have a date? What about that girl you're always with?"

"Lauren? No, no, she's just a friend. No date for me fortunately, from what you say it seems to be quit the ordeal." Scorpius could hear his heartbeat quicken. This was dangerous territory. Unbidden, memories of his late night fantasies flashed before his eyes. No, no female date for him.

"Yeah…well, maybe it's just me. She's nice and quite pretty, I think. But I dunno, it feels weird. I think she likes me more than I like her. I don't know what to do about it."

"Well maybe you should just tell her that. It's better doing it early on, before she gets her hopes up."

"Mm, maybe you're right. Anyway, I've got something to show you." Albus walked over to stand directly in front of Scorpius. His face portrayed a look of nervous anticipation as his teeth nibbled his lower lip and his gaze flickered between looking into Scorpius' eyes and at his nose.

"Ok, so I learnt it a while ago so I might have forgotten it a bit, so don't laugh at me."

"Never."

"Ha. Well. Ok then." Scorpius was almost unsettlingly sincere. "It's kind of like the one you taught me but its faster. And more spinny. And you have to be the girl this time."

"I was afraid you'd say that. Well alright, just this once." _I would be your girl any day. In a sense._

"Ok so put your hands round my neck then – ha! I've grown since last time, I'm almost as tall as you now – and I'll put mine here on your waist. Yes. Good. Ok so I think it starts with you going back 2 steps…yeah…then you turn to your left…oh no wait, your right. Turn more…perfect! And then…"

In many ways it was all a bit dream like. Spinning around in the snow with Albus giving his fumbled, mumbled instructions. Albus would grin with pride whenever he remembered something correctly and praised Scorpius constantly, telling him how well he moved, how quickly he picked things up. Scorpius began to feel rather light headed. It took almost an hour for Albus to teach the dance in its entirety to Scorpius. It was quite simple but the spins still proved to be rather challenging and Scorpius secretly revelled in the moments where they would each try to move a different way and end up colliding with each other.

"Yeah, that time was perfect! Dancing with you is far more fun than dancing with Clarissa. She kept standing on my feet, she was standing so close to me! I guess I should go back in really and see her. It's been really fun though!" Albus dropped his hands from Scorpius's waist. Scorpius felt a sudden panic grip him. This perfect moment was slipping away, he had to do something to reclaim it.

"Wait! You have to end the dance properly."

"Oh…oh yes. Of course." Al licked his lips. He'd wondered about this, if Scorpius would again insist on ending the dance with some kind of kiss. Scorpius seemed to be having some kind of internal debate. His arms remained wrapped around Al's neck and his eyes bore into Albus', as if he were seeking some kind of answer and expected to find it buried in Albus' iris. And then, suddenly, he lurched forward and pressed his lips to Al's.

Al didn't know what to do. Scorpius stayed there for a few seconds before pulling away slightly. But this did not signal the end of the kiss. Scorpius leaned in again to press a series of short, peck-like kisses to Al's unresponsive mouth as he moved one hand down to grasp Al' hip. Al's eyes remained open and his body became rigid; he was in complete shock. Scorpius pressed one last, slightly longer kiss to Al's mouth before pulling away. Stepping back, his face portrayed an expression of shock that mirrored Albus' own.

"I'm…I'm really…-oh god, I shouldn't….listen Albus, it's just that it's after a dance you see, and people do that. Lots of people, I swear, please don't tell anyone about that, it's not what it seems like." Yes it was. It was exactly what it seemed like and Scorpius was a stupid, stupid boy with a crush that had gotten out of hand.

"Um…um….no I won't tell anyone. No. I know it was the dance, don't worry. Well. I'd better go in. Bye Scorpius. See you…around. Bye." Albus turned and walked quickly away. When he knew he was out of sight, he broke in to a run and sprinted back into the hall.

"Albus! Where have you been? I haven't seen you in like over an hour! Come and dance with me!"

"Sorry Clarissa, I'm going to bed. I don't feel well you see. Something I ate I reckon. See you tomorrow. Tell Frank I've gone, will you? Night."

"Wait! I wanted to give you something!" Albus once again experienced the odd sensation of having another human being's lips pressed against his own. Clarissa pulled back and grinned at him.

"There. Now you can go to bed. I hope you feel better in the morning babe!"

What? What had happened to the world? Why was everybody suddenly kissing him? This wasn't right, not right at all! Al didn't know where to start trying to make sense of it all. Clarissa was one thing, but Scorpius? _It was the dance. It's how he's been taught to end dances. _Yes, and that was all very well, except it wasn't a quick peck on the cheek, was it? It was a proper kiss. Like a Teddy and Victoire kiss. It hadn't been unpleasant exactly but it was just so peculiar. The best thing for the time being was to ignore it. Scorpius had clearly been embarrassed and would probably be doing all he could to forget about it. It was probably best for Al to do the same, for both their sakes. But what to do about Clarissa? These really were confusing times to be Albus Potter.


End file.
